Tockwith Parish information from Bulmers' 1890.

TOCKWITH:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890.

Wapentake of the Ainsty of York - Rural Deanery of Ainsty - Archdeaconry of York or West Riding - Diocese of York.

Tockwith, formerly a township under Bilton, was, by an Order in Council, constituted a separate parish in 1866. It comprises 1,680 acres of land, chiefly the property of A. Montagu, Esq., who is lord of the manor; Messrs. Brogden and Son, and Mr. John Norfolk. There are several small freeholders. Tockwith has always been noted for its freehold owners. Previous to the last Reform Bill it sent out from 40 to 50 independent voters. The rateable value is £3,534, and the population, in 1881, was 572.

The village stands about nine miles west of York, and six miles south of Wetherby, in the midst of an excellent agricultural district. The nearest railway station is Cattal, on the York and Knaresborough branch of the North Eastern railway, a little over three miles distant, In the battle of Marston Moor the right wing of the Royalists and the left wing of the Parliamentarians were stationed near the village, and it was here that Prince Rupert's dragoons were overcome, and driven from the field of battle by the terrible onslaught of Cromwell's Ironsides. Rupert, it is said, never drew rein till he reached the walls of York.

The Church of the Epiphany is a handsome stone structure, erected by the late Mrs. York, of Wighill Park, at a cost of about £4,000. It is in the Early English style, and cruciform in plan, consisting of nave, chancel, transepts, and a low circular tower, containing three bells. The roof of the nave is of open timber work, and that of the chancel panelled oak. The east end is adorned by a large and beautiful stained glass window, of four lights, on which are depicted the last four scenes in the life of Christ. The west end is lighted by three stained glass windows, and one of hexagon shape, also filled with stained glass. The windows of the nave are filled with plain glass, as is also that in the north transept. The three-light window of the south transept, representing the Nativity, is a memorial of Edward York, Esq., and his wife, Penelope Beatrice Sykes - the founder of the church - erected "as a thankoffering to God by those who loved them." A beautiful marble font stands at the north-east corner of the nave. The living is a vicarage, worth £125 per annum, in the patronage of the Archbishop of York, and the incumbency of the Rev. Matthew Cox. The Vicarage House is a commodious brick building near the church, erected, in 1883, by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, at a cost of £1,400.

The School, containing a principal room and class-room, with accommodation for 90 children, was opened in 1871.

The Wesleyans have a chapel in the village, a handsome brick structure, in a mixed style of architecture, erected in 1875, at a cost of £1,461, exclusive of the site, which was given by Mr. Timothy Ripley.

[Description(s) from Bulmer's History and Directory of North Yorkshire (1890)]

Directories

• Transcript of the entry for the Post Office, professions and trades in Bulmer's Directory of 1890.

Scan, OCR and html by Colin Hinson. Checking and correction by Peter Nelson.